Embodiments of the present invention are directed to network access to technical assistance. More particularly the present invention provides a system and method for obtaining technical assistance via a network by allowing seekers of technical support services to identify and select qualified service providers and by providing the selected service provider direct access to a device requiring technical support services via the network.
Modern society is increasingly dependent on technology for communications, entertainment, commerce, and information. Computers, software, and network devices are the building blocks for complex systems that are often forgotten when they are working correctly and disparaged when they fail. A failure of a device, system or software application can be difficult to troubleshoot, even for the most technically savvy individuals.
To support this web of hardware and software, specialists have emerged who are trained to identify the causes of a system failure and to offer solutions to return the failed system to operational status. However, finding an individual with the skills that match a particular failure mode can be a daunting task.
Solutions have been proposed to address this problem. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,821 issued to Stephanou (the '821 patent) describes a system that facilitates a communication between client and expert. In order to seek assistance, the client registers and purchases “credits” before he or she can post a service request onto the system. The service request is assigned a job ticket and added to a pool comprising other job tickets. A pooled ticket is claimed by an independent expert registered with the site. Any number of experts are able to view a given unassigned ticket until it is claimed for responsibility by a particular expert. Once claimed, the expert then contacts the assistance seeker who posed the job via email and live text-based chat across the internet. These dialogue methods (email and internet text based chat) are used throughout the life of the ticket. Dialogue takes place between expert and client who carries out the task(s) given to him or her by the expert in their efforts to instruct the client through the necessary steps until such a time that the job is fixed or no resolution can be made, upon acceptance of both parties of course. In summary:                Client registers with site and purchases credit in order to post job or ticket.        Expert registers with the site and specifies a portfolio of services.        Experts peruse tickets in a pool comprising tasks that fall within an expert's portfolio of services and claim a ticket when they want to carry out a particular job.        Client and Expert exchange emails and chat with the expert offering advice on how to affect repair        The Client under instruction from the expert carries out the tasks as described to him until repair or some other resolution is reached amicably.        
While the '821 patent provides a system for communication of a client with an expert, the client does not choose the expert. Rather, the client job is claimed by an expert without the client vetting the qualifications of the expert or interacting with the expert. Additionally, the '821 patent requires a user to prepay before contracting for services from an expert. Further, the actual work is performed by the client, not the expert. The expert can only provide assistance based on what the client reports to the expert. The expert cannot examine a failed device directly and independently determine the nature of the failure and its cause.
What would be beneficial would be a system and method that provides a party seeking technical support services the ability to interact with a party offering to provide repair services and to select a provider of repair services. Such a system and method would facilitate the provision of repair services by the provider of repair services over a network connection.